Page 142 of In My Heart
“Then we’ll stay,” Dante announced absolutely, like he had the final say in the decision.
“Did we have a back up plan I didnae know about, lad?” Arran chuckled.
“That means he likes it, Rafe,” I hurried to add, not wanting Rafe to be offended.
“I got that, sweetheart,” Rafe replied with a smile. “Do you think you can be comfortable here? I had your room recreated on the floor below if you need the familiarity of it. It’s exactly as it was, just in case. I know change can unsettle you.”
“You really are the best big brother in the world,” I uttered as the tears slipped free, my emotions overflowing at Rafe doing something so insane just to be sure I had a comfortable place to sleep that night.
“He’s making us look bad,” Cal chuckled.
“Huh. I didn’t even consider that when I did all of this, but making you all look bad might be a fun hobby, for a while at least,” Rafe joked, or at least I hoped he was joking.
“Rafe!” I scolded him playfully and he just rolled his eyes at me.
His issues with my relationship seemed to be resolved, and him giving us that place felt like it cemented that fact, but Rafe still loved to give them all a hard time, playing up to his part as the intimidating brother-in-law, and enjoying every second of it.
“I’m within my rights to fuck with them. It’s my big brotherly duty to give them shit,Gioia,” he told me.
“And we’re within our rights to give it right back. Don’t worry,Piccola. We all give as good as we get,” Dio told me.
I found myself smiling through my tears as I looked around at them all. The moment couldn’t have been any more perfect. I was surrounded by the people I loved, in a beautiful, safe place, and I felt peace. So much peace.
“You aren’t allowed to abandon me now you have this place though, Cara. I’d like to keep up our ritual of eating together once a day, if we can,” Rafe said, and I turned back to him and nodded.
“I’m not going anywhere. You’re my light too, brother, and I need you in my life as much as I can have you there,” I admitted as I approached him.
“Good.” He pulled me close and hugged me tight.
“I’m happy,” I whispered from where my head rested against his chest.
“I know,” he replied. “That’s what I was hoping for. You haven’t even seen the upstairs yet though.”
“I already know it’s perfect. Thank you.”
“Stop bloody thanking me. Making you smile is part of my role as big brother too.”
“You’re pretty good at it,” I assured him.
“I’m getting better,” he hedged. “Now, why don’t you grab your merry men and head upstairs to look at the rest? I have an online meeting in fifteen minutes, so I’ll have to make myself scarce.”
“Dinner?” I asked.
“Terza’s making a feast. See you there?”
“Definitely,” I agreed as I released him.
He told the others he needed to leave, then he was gone, closing the door behind him and leaving us all in the silence of our new home.
“We should have carried Cara over the threshold, shouldn’t we?” Dante questioned from nowhere, making us all laugh out loud.
“I think you do that after we get married, Dante,” I informed him.
“Do you want to do that?” he asked.
“Do not answer that, gorgeous,” Cal called immediately.
“Why not? I want to know,” Dante argued.
